October 7, 2009 update: I returned to FLIR. I didn’t notice much of a different in pageload time and I there’s only one or two fonts available from Fontburner that I actually like. So, yay, it’s back to Freehand 471 for me! Today I changed fonts. I went from Freehand 471, which I really like, to a font called Inkydinky.…

I’ve been surfing YouTube in hope of finding some sample public speeches delivered by students that I can show to my public speaking class. I’m looking for examples that don’t have that polished, produced look common to publishers’ supplementary materials. There are an amazing amount of student speeches on youtube. Unfortunately, most of them seem to be videos of students…

It is that time of the semester when I complain about my students. I -love- my classes this semester. My students are a complete blast. I haven’t had this much fun teaching in ages. I’m not sure what’s happening or why the chemistry is there. Maybe I’ve just finally hit my stride. So, yay! Ok, why am I griping then?…

In my first days of recovery, I found the hole poem incredibly helpful and meaningful as a metaphor for rearranging how I wanted to move through the world. I had a conversation with the kid last night about the difference between being a victim and a survivor. I hadn’t had that conversation in a long time. It provided a nice…

Shoes these days are so ugly. I just don’t understand the appeal. I like the return to gladiator sandals. I had those in the 80s. They were fun. I didn’t like the return to platform shoes. I had those in the 70s. They were kinda ugly. Also wedges, not so much. Of course, nowadays I just wear plain boring shoes…

Gratitudes

Keeping track of gratitudes helps keep me positive and appreciative. The only rule is people can't be on the list because there are too many to name. Focusing on the small things keeps me mindful. Here's my gratitudes for today.

1. My students this semester. They rock. They are just plain wonderful. The exceptions aren’t even enough to drag me down. 2. Computer Heaven’s warranty 3. Sleeping pills

I adore Whoopi. She can do little wrong in my eyes. I’m soooo disappointed in her lame defense of Roman Polanski. I don’t know what to think. It’s like her brain slid out of her head and onto the floor.

I have always loved kd lang. Always, always. I liked her punk-country performance-art style from Angel with a Lariat. She caught my eye at some point in the 80s when I was channel surfing television. Spiky hair, Buddy Holly glasses, and country-western wear: She was a genre-bending artist as much as a gender-bending one. I didn’t pay attention to her…